Ugh, that was awful.
I and the millions of other people who’ve made Paul Hardastle far and away the most successful smooth jazz artist in the world beg to disagree. 
I will admit that the animation of the people in the video could use a little work though.
He also did this provocative 80s hit (19)
and this precursor to smooth jazz (Rainforest)
Excellent tunes both. I have most of the guy’s music but it’d been a long time since I’d heard these and I’d pretty much forgotten them. Thanks for the links and for jogging my memory.
That’s jazz like Barry Manilo is rock&roll 
(IMHO )
Back when I used to work in a kennel at a vet’s office, I would often play a smooth jazz station to calm the dogs down. Of course I knew that it had no effect on the dogs whatsoever, but still I kept doing it. The oddest part of it was that I don’t even care for the genre much and never listen to it anywhere else. It was more a way to annoy coworkers than to calm down the dogs.
More power to you. You seem to grasp that many folks find Smooth Jazz yucky, so I hope I am not coming across as threadshitting - not my intent.
I have no idea what to do with music like this - well executed but just awful. Not sure why. I mean, I love Sade, Miles Davis’ Cool Jazz period, Steely Dan, etc. - but those examples are somehow different and better than this.
Smooth Jazz just drives me crazy.
Ditto. Probably because it’s like the “Mantovani Plays Led Zeppelin” you hear in the elevator.
Not threadshitting at all, and especially not coming from you. It’s just a matter of people liking different things. Someone once said that’s why restaurants have menus. 
And yes, you’re right that I know most people around here are scornful of smooth jazz, but I thought I’d post the link anyway for the benefit of those who might like it, the video (which I also love), or maybe even both. Some excellent musicians have moved into the smooth jazz category over the years and it’s a genre of music with a fairly significant audience, so I’m hoping that of the couple hundred or so people who’ve opened the thread at least some of them enjoyed it.
It’s true that this is not a type of music likely to appeal to those who like alternative bands or genuine jazz or most types of rock & roll. I wouldn’t want to listen to it exclusively myself.
But to me it’s relaxing and enjoyable and evokes feelings of prosperity and comfort and a sense that one is leading a pleasant life well lived…sort of like the feeling you get from a fire in the fireplace on a cold winter night or a sipping a good glass of scotch.
And I enjoyed the video for pretty much the same reasons.
I enjoy a wide range of music, and as a matter of fact am a huge fan of Steely Dan. Saw them live a few months ago and was fortunate enough to have a seat about 50 feet in front of and just to the side of Donald Fagen, and so had a clear and unobstructed view of this superb musician I’ve admired tremendously for decades.
I do appreciate your comments as I’d wondered about your take on this kind of music – even though I’d pretty well anticipated it correctly on my own. 
I don’t expect to get much approval for most of the musical links I post here. I’ve posted quite a bit about Kimbra for example and haven’t generated much excitement there either. Mostly I just post them for the sake of those who might find they like them, and not with the expectation that they’ll generate much in the way of approval or discussion.
When Steely Dan reunited, I bought 18 seats on the “floor” for friends and relatives at Jones Beach (Long Island, NY). This would have been somewhere in the early 1990’s. I should have bought two more for my parents, to (somewhat) make up for knocking stuff off their shelves and breakfront two stories up when I played it loud. (Bodhisattva will do that). I really like cool/smooth jazz: David Benoit, Sade, Joe Sample (a favorite), Grover Washington (another favorite I saw live - allong with Mr. Sample), Larry Carlton (Hey, Steely Dan!, saw him lots). I reckon Stevie Wonder is the patron saint of the genre.
Some of the guys you mentioned are who I was referring to when I said that some very good musicians had moved into smooth jazz.
Thanks for your comments. It’s nice to know there are those out there who might enjoy my postings.
And yeah, Bodhisattva kicks ass! They did a great job on it when I saw them in July. The energy was fantastic.
It’s my opinion that artists like Benoit (who I used to like) who move to smooth jazz, do so for the paycheck, not because they think it’s a better genre. Hey, gotta pay the bills, and jazz only pays when you’re at the top of the heap.
By the way, if you like Dave Benoit, give his Christmas albums a try. I really like them a lot, especially his rendition of “Christmastime is Here”. You also might like Lee Ritenour, a very good guitarist and jazz lite musician, and the group Fourplay.
I absolutely agree that musicians like David Benoit, Larry Carlton, etc., have moved into smooth jazz for the money. The upside is that these guys bring genuine musical chops to the genre and produce what is in my opinion very good smooth jazz music.
I do like David Benoit but have not heard any of his Christmas stuff. Thanks for the tip, I’ll check them out, including “Christmastime is Here”.
I also like Lee Ritenour and Fourplay, and as a matter of fact have a couple of Fourplay albums. Larry Carlton replaced Lee Ritenour in that group, and after twelve years left and has been replaced by Chuck Loeb.
Speaking of Fourplay, I thought you might enjoy this performance of Between the Sheets, which features Chaka Khan with Phillip Bailey and Phil Perry providing backup vocals. It’s twenty years old now but still very tasty.
I meant to tell WordMan how much I like Sade too. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing the first time I heard Smooth Operator. She (and her excellent band) had gotten no further than the opening lyric of 'Diamond life…lover boy…" and it had already become my favorite tune of the time. On the other hand, I’ve tried and and tried and just haven’t been able to get into Miles Davis (or most “real” jazz) at all. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I hate it but I sure don’t enjoy it much. It’s funny how people can have such similar taste in some ways and yet be the complete opposite in others.
And speaking of Sade, let’s not forget how friggin’ gorgeous she was.
Cite (Ignore the overall cheesiness of the video and just concentrate on her. Sumbitch! I want my heart back!!)
Fourplay! Bob James, Nathan East, Lee Ritenour, Harvey Mason, et al…
I’ve seen Bob James a few times, with and without Fourplay, so it must have been without when he played Angela - “Theme from Taxi”.
Here he’s playing it, with Nathan East. So what do I know? I used to live in New York, and now I want to hail a Checker Cab and ride over the 59th street Bridge.
Larry Carlton, "sorta covering" Steely Dan's Peg. Again, my memory is foggy, yet I recall he intro'd the song by saying the "335" represented the notes he was playing. In the song from Aja, he pretty much only plays 3 notes. (I could be - and likely am wrong - but that's my recall)Yep - I hear you and no clue. I listen to Kind of Blue by Miles Davis and am transported, yet find most smooth jazz to be more like sophisticated Muzak. The talent displayed is huge, but it doesn’t move me and can remain in the background just fine, which to me is not a great thing…
If you haven’t got it, try Benoit’s album “Letter to Evan”, particularly his version of “On Golden Pond”.
Yes, I did listen to quite of bit of this type of music when I was first dipping my toe into the wildly diverse world of jazz. I even liked (gasp!) Kenny G’s first album for awhile. I thank my wife for pointing me in the right directions, as she’s been a jazz fan for quite a long time. I’d been a fan of Brubeck and Getz since the 60s, but hadn’t tried anything else, so easing in with the above artists and groups like The Rippingtons and Fourplay worked well.
Millions of people have dreadful taste. Being among them is not something to feel proud of.